From:
williamsdvm@comcast.net
Date: 2002-10-19 01:53:17 UTC
Subject: RE: Lumps on "Willie Wonka"
To: ferrethealth@smartgroups.com
Message-ID: <3044386.1034992397693.JavaMail.root@scandium>
Author wrote:
> Hello. I posted a couple times several weeks ago but I think my message never went through. The story was I found a good size lump on one of my ferrets (right by the penis). It was under the skin and I could move it around and it didn't seem to bother him. He was able to go to the bathroom and all. I took him to the vet and she said it wasn't attached to anything and said we could either run a biopsy on it, find out what it is and take it from there or we can remove it. I said to remove it. After surgery she called me and told me that this lump was really ugly (really dark and lumpy) and that she suggests sending it out for biopsy. So we did that and I haven't heard anything yet.
Dear Megan - It is always betterto wait for the biopsy results. However, it is very likely in that area that you are dealing with a scent gland tumor (apocrine tumor) which is very common in the prepuce. The fact that it could move around is a good thing, but these tumors can sometimes be malignant and metastasize internally.
I doubt that the skin tumo on the chest is related, but it probably wouldn't hurt once the bipsy come back to remove it as well.
with kindest regards,
Bruce Williams, dVM